Rumor of the Day: Suicide Squad's Joker to be inspired by Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns

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A rumor about Suicide Squad’s own Clown Prince of Crime (Jared Leto) has emerged, but since it’s not something that’s been officially confirmed yet, remember to take it all with a grain of salt ... but a very cool grain of salt. According to Latino Review’s Umberto Gonzalez (who’s been steadily churning out rumors about DC's upcoming movie slate), the Joker in David Ayer’s supervillain flick will be based heavily on Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns, most specifically in terms of his appearance. The report says:

“He's lean & scarred but his suit does have broad shoulders. Joker works out in his cell like an inmate when he is interrogated by Amanda Waller. He's doing hand stand push ups so it makes sense that Jared Leto said he is putting on weight. He's definitely not skinny, but in fact more muscular. He has bleached skin not make up.”

The character’s appearance fits into the overall look the DC Cinematic Universe seems to be aiming for, starting with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. It was obvious from the pic that was released of Ben Affleck’s older version of Batman that the inspiration behind the Batsuit’s design was clearly taken from the pages of Frank Miller’s four-part comic-book miniseries. Gonzalez also added a pic to his Instagram post to illustrate Suicide Squad’s overall look, and you’ll be able to check it out below.

The report then gets even more spoilery by saying that (SPOILER ALERT): “He's killed one of Batman's sidekicks, there is a lot of references to his past crimes. He kills a lot of people.” Gonzalez goes on to say that one of Batman’s oldest enemies, Hugo Strange, will also appear in the movie as the psychiatrist who treats the Joker and Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) in jail:

“I'm also told The Joker has a lot of scenes with HUGO STRANGE! He's the psychiatrist at the prison & seems to be a part of the story yet I heard nothing of casting or mention of a single casting choice. Hugo Strange has quite a few interactions with the Joker & Harley Quinn. It's not the regular security. It's internal one on one thing.”

Hugo Strange is a little-known villain in the Batman DC Comics-verse, but he actually played a big role in the Batman: Arkham City videogame that was released back in 2011. Was David Ayer inspired by Rocksteady's game series? Could be. But what do you guys think about these rumors? Do you believe there could be any truth to them? Is that what you were expecting from the Joker in the eagerly anticipated Suicide Squad?